Go North, Young Man (or Woman)

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The good news is that there is no wrong choice here. Whichever way you go, you'll have a great time with lots of wonderful scenery. That said, I think I'd still lean rather strongly to heading north. I've driven both sections of California coast, and while the Big Sur is spectacular, I have a preference for the more understated beauty of the northern California coast. In addition, it will be cooler at this time of year, and the mountains are a bit more accessible in the north as well. In addition, the redwoods, the mystique of the 'lost coast', and the wealth of small state parks along the Oregon coast all help tilt the scales in that direction

Go north young man

Hi,

North seems like the better choice to me, too. You can include so many interesting places in a loop from the coast to the interior on your way back home such as Crater Lake, Oregon, Mt. Shasta, Mt. Lassen, Birney Falls, and the waterfalls on the McCloud River. Here is a shot of the Middle Falls of the McCloud (east of Mt. Shasta).

It doesn't get much better than that.

The drive from Arcata to Redding along the Trinity River and by Whiskytown Lake is great, as are all the small towns along the California and Oregon coasts. And if you get tired of the main roads, there are plenty of back roads that take you exploring through the mountains. Never a dull moment.

Why not a trip on up to Crater Lake & back. Good four day excursion. Up the coast, check out Avenue of the Giants, Hwy 36, Hwy 3, Yreka, on up to Crater Lake. Nothing quite like standing on that rim. Come back south to Lava Beds National Monument, than go a bit south and check out Glass Mountain (an entire mountain of obsidian rock), bit further south and you'll run headlong into waterfall pictured above ;) . Time gets short, hop on I-5 and you'll be back home in hours. Tip of the iceberg! ;)

I'll put in another vote for heading north. I haven't made it up into Oregon yet, but what I've seen of northern Cali is well worth multiple trips. I'd like also like to hit Crater Lake sometime as a previous poster mentioned.